


Fly High

by Sneakyfox55



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adopted Reader, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Angst, F/M, Family Dynamics, Gen, In-Fic Writing, Mental Health Issues, Online Friendship, Reader is not Frisk or Chara, Reader writes, Self-Esteem Issues, Slow Burn, Slow for Reader at least, Sort of? - Freeform, Soulmates, The Meta Is Real, also inspired by a song, bad attempts at angst, reader is female, unrealistic things
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:55:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23088931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sneakyfox55/pseuds/Sneakyfox55
Summary: You didn't think you fitted in anywhere. You'd only really posted on the forum because your little brother coerced you into it. You highly doubted anyone would care about your ideas, much less how you felt. You didn't actually expect aresponsefrom anyone.Yet, somehow... You end up getting just that. From a skeleton.Who maaaybe just ends up becoming your best friend.
Relationships: Reader & Other(s), Sans (Undertale)/Reader
Comments: 14
Kudos: 87
Collections: My stuff, Reader Insert, Undertale





	1. Final Chapter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [flamingburningfandomtrash](https://archiveofourown.org/users/flamingburningfandomtrash/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Wrong Number](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21662680) by [Teutonic_lisp](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Teutonic_lisp/pseuds/Teutonic_lisp). 



> okay soooooooo *cough*
> 
> I listened to the song Bird With A Broken Wing by Owl City (literally courtesy of flamingburningfandomtrash) and I knew I couldn't just NOT write something with it, and? this happened??
> 
> I also really just wanted to give flamingburningfandomtrash a gift so here ya go man, thanks for all the support!! It really does mean a lot, and I hope this makes your day like you've made mine! ^^

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one with lots of exposition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter's title causes so much confusion lmbo
> 
> also, sorry it's so short

After being thrown into an orphanage at the age of two, you didn't exactly know the definition of the word "family;" and even when you were adopted at six, it took you time to adjust. A long time.

But, you couldn't have asked for better parents. Despite your reluctance, and hostility in the beginning, they didn't let that deter them in any way. You fought tooth and claw with them, and so did they, when need be. And nothing you could say would make them love you any less--even if you hadn't actually been born to them, and even if you didn't quite match their cheery personalities with your shy and rather negative attitude.

You'd been scared, when you'd gotten the news your mother was pregnant. Maybe even terrified, because only one thing rang clear in your mind then: _If they have their own kid, they won't need me anymore._ After all, you weren't _really_ a part of their family. You were still an outsider, weren't you? Just some girl with social anxiety, with hair the color of the night sky, contrasting their warm locks that shone in the bright sun; a girl who they probably had _never_ wanted, simply picked out from the others because you were quiet, different from the wild and rambunctious kids.

You had tried not to cry when he was born; tried to keep on a brave face, for their sake. But at the age of seven, you could only do it for so long. Embarrassingly, when the four of you finally got home from the hospital, you let loose your tears, simply because you were asked if something was wrong, and you just were too weak to hold it in anymore. You didn't want to be abandoned by the only family you knew, and voiced that to the best of your ability, blubbering and all.

But they listened to your woes. They didn't ignore you, like you thought they might. They didn't throw you to the side, or change their minds, take you to the car, and start off towards the orphanage again, like you thought they would. They treated you with such care, that you thought you might start sobbing all over again, because now you knew they cared. Because in all your life, you'd never felt so loved.

And, regardless of the new baby, whether they payed more attention to him now or not, whether you'd always be the "second-tier" child in anybody else's eyes, the fact they held your problems so dear to their heart ~~like they actually _mattered_~~ was enough to make you realize you couldn't be with a better family in all the world.

You became close with your new brother, too. They named him Benjamin, but you like calling him Benny. He looks up to you like you're his only light in the world, and he's always been there for you when you needed him most. Even now, the two of you are inseparable. Just like your mom and dad, you don't think you could ask for a greater sibling.

So, at age ten, right after Benny's 3rd birthday, you started writing your first story; for him.

You didn't think he was old enough yet to read it, but you couldn't wait until he was.

* * *

You sit at your desk, reevaluating that same story.

It was mostly just dialogue. Back then you weren't good at writing yet, you hadn't been in English class that long. But you'd tried your best, simply because you wanted to make your baby bro smile on his birthday.

 _..._ And yet, you didn't think it was enough.

You never did show it to him, after all this time, even after writing much more after that. He's thirteen now. You've already graduated high-school, and at one point had been trying to find a house for yourself.

But you can't buy a house. You don't have the money, because you don't have a job--because you tried applying and got turned down every time. Because you don't have a degree.

And you don't know what else to do, because who'd hire a degree-less nineteen year old with nothing but a pathetic excuse for a skill at writing? 

You know you should be really looking for a job, to get enough money to go to college. But you're scared. You're scared of that commitment, that level of responsibility. You're scared to say goodbye to your mom, with her affinity for always making the bad things go away, simply with her warm hugs. You're scared of saying goodbye to your dad, with his jokes and ability to somehow know just exactly what to say when you feel down.

You're scared of saying goodbye to Benny.

You're scared to be alone.

And you don't think they really care, but...

At the same time, what can you do for them in return? Not much, by any means. You're not sure you should even try to, either.

~~It won't matter what you do anyway, considering...~~

So you don't.

And you don't finish the final chapter of the story you were working on; the new one you were making for your brother.

You decide that chapter of your life is finished, in of itself.


	2. Give It a Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your brother starts pestering you a bit and you just kind of go along with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first of all, thank you so so much for all the kudos!! It's really made my week a whole lot better, so here, have another chapter ahead of time as sort of a thank you haha. sorry again it's so short.
> 
> and also, meet Benny in all his glory

You tend to have an affinity for leaving your bedroom door open, no matter what you’re doing. Granted, not the greatest thing when you live in a house with two guys; one of them being a teenager.

But, at the same time, whether you leave the door open or not, Benny is bound to come in without knocking, so you pretty much have no choice anyway. And you don’t have a lock, so...

Speaking of said brother, currently, he is lounging on your bed while you sit at your desk, staring at your computer like it just offended you greatly.

Already aggravated—since your dumb piece of technology has been installing updates for the past five minutes—you turn to glance at Benny, watching him stare at his reflection in the mirror over your dresser and continually pushing his new glasses right up the bridge of his nose, only to pull them off again.

“Would you quit that?” you tell him, annoyed. “At this rate you’ll smudge them beyond fixing.”

“So?” He shrugs.

“We don’t have money to get you another pair.”

“But I don’t even _want_ glasses,” he complains, and you roll your eyes.

“Tough,” you state flatly, and go back to your blue screen morosely. A moment later, you hear the springs of your bed squeak, and you turn again to see him standing behind your swivel chair awkwardly.

“Wanna tell me why you’re being so cranky right now?” you ask, slowly.

“...I guess.” He sighs, rubbing his arm slightly. You wait for him to continue, but he doesn’t.

You sigh too, pausing. “Listen,” you begin, “if this is about those kids—”

“No! I mean, no. I just...” He tries to smile, but it comes out... Very forced. And kind of nervous. “I look like a geek.”

“You _are_ a geek.”

“Shut up!” He laughs, slugging you briefly in the arm. You smile a bit, but it doesn’t quite reach your eyes.

“Seriously, though,” you cross your arms, “is that really all you’re worried about?”

“Uh, yeah? I mean, how am I gonna get a girlfriend?”

You snort. “If a girl cares about your looks that much—which is dumb anyway, you look fine—then don’t even bother. They should care about what’s on the inside, not the outside.”

He scrunches up his nose at you. “You sound like Mom.”

“You sound like a downer.”

Benny’s gaze turns uncharacteristically serious, and he turns his eyes to his shoes. “...Sorry.”

Your eyebrows raise. You turn in your chair slightly, looking at him a bit worriedly. “What are you apologizing for?”

He just stands there, not responding. But before you can ask again, he glances back up, forcing a smile. “Nothing. Thanks for the talk, (Y/N).”

“Wh—hey, wait!”

He stops his trek to the hallway, looking back at you questioningly.

“Just... Give it a chance,” you tell him softly. “Wear them tomorrow. You’d be surprised how supportive people can be.”

He pauses, gives you a small smile, then leaves.

* * *

“Well,” you say with a hum. “This is your stop.”

Your brother just continues to the sit in the front seat of your mom’s SUV, picking at a scab on his left arm.

“...Benny. Time to go.”

He pushes his glasses again up the bridge of his nose, as if they’ll go any further.

“Ben,” you cut through the silence firmly. “It will be fine. Trust me.”

He looks to you once more, sighing slightly. Then he smiles, just like the day before, though more genuine.

“Thanks,” he says softly.

You lean over to ruffle his golden hair, and he laughs. “Hey—don’t embarrass me!”’

“I’m your sister, it’s too late for that,” you chuckle with him, and he pushes you away playfully. With one last grin, he opens his door and jumps out. You roll down the window to talk to him more clearly.

“Have a good day at school!” you call after him as he gathers his supplies from the backseat.

“I will,” he says, with less enthusiasm, but you try not to let that falter you.

“...Seriously, they’ll love your new look.”

He sighs again, smiling ruefully at you through the open window. “I guess. See ya later.”

“I love you.”

“Love you too,” he says warmly, beginning to turn towards the building—only to pause.

“You should take your own advice,” he adds over his shoulder, almost cheekily. “Y’know, ‘give it a chance.’” He gallivants quickly towards the schoolyard, not giving you a chance to respond to his odd statement.

You stare after him a moment, furrowing your brows.

“What a weird kid,” you mutter, shaking your head in amusement as you begin to turn the car back around to head home.


	3. Leap of Faith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where your brother has you do something kinda stupid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so basically
> 
> i completely forgot this fic is also a bit inspired by another fic
> 
> um, sorry bout that, said fic is called Wrong Number, it's super duper cute go read
> 
> and also go read all of flamingburningfandomtrash's work because their fics are great and they're really sweet, forgot to mention that, 
> 
> my point is, go check those stories out because i say so (and then come back to this if you still think it's good cough)
> 
> anyway here's the next chapter, woo!

“So how was it?” you ask, eyeing the way your brother’s shoulders are slouching.

“Good,” he says, a bit quieter than usual. Obviously you don’t buy it.

“What happened?”

“Nothing.”

You let your gaze harden a little, telling him, “It doesn’t _seem_ like nothing. Seriously, you can tell me what’s wrong.”

He fidgets in his seat, opens his mouth, then closes it. He attempts to speak again, but stops once more, reluctant.

“I’m not going to judge you,” you say, softly.

He glances at you, hesitantly, then turns back to his hands.

“They, um...” he mutters, trailing off momentarily. “They said I looked weird.”

“...Oh.”

“And... Ugly.”

You frown deeply, but wait for him to continue.

“They made front of me in front of everyone, even the teachers,” he went on, his voice getting a shaky edge, making a lump form in your throat, “a-and nobody did anything.”

“Oh,” you utter a second time, not knowing what else to say.

He wipes his eyes with his sleeve, then quickly turns to you with a reassuring smile. “I-it’s okay. Jay didn’t mind. A-and neither did Maggie, she—she actually talked to me. And she talked to me during lunch too, so... That was good.”

“Yeah,” you agree halfheartedly.

It’s not that you don’t think that _is_ good; it’s the fact he’s clearly making up excuses to feel better. It’s clearly bothering him, but...

But he’s not going to truly let you know that, is he?

You start the car without a word, and drive out of the parking lot, every once in a while giving him a glance on the way home.

He just keeps staring out the window.

That evening, Benny sticks to your side a bit more than usual, watching you play games on your computer and reply to old emails. You just let him stay, and decide not to press him about his homework too much; you have a feeling he’d rather have someone around, for some reason. Someone he can trust.

It’s not new behavior, honestly. Things had been similar when he started middle school, though, it wasn’t as obvious then. You know he only has a handful of friends at school—for all you know, that’s probably why he’s so close to you even at this age.

And yet...

“What’s that?”

He suddenly interrupts your thoughts, pointing at something on your computer screen. It takes you a moment to understand what he’s talking about. “A forum,” you say simply.

“Do you have an account on it?”

You give him a curious look. “Uh, no? Why?”

“You should talk to them,” he tells you, as though that clears things up. You snort.

“Talk to who?”

“People.”

“...People?”

He laughs, “Yeah? I mean, if you’re looking at the forum, then why not actually join them?”

You roll your eyes, going back to a separate tab opened on your email still. “I’m not there to talk to anyone.”

“Well, you should.” He suddenly gasps, right by your ear, and you shoot him a glare. “You could post something there!”

“Post what?” you ask incredulously.

“What you write!”

You snort again, “Okay, you’re obviously sleep-deprived.”

“I am not!” he argues quickly, his gaze hardening.

...Oh. Wow.

He's serious.

“Then what’s gotten into you?” you wonder.

“Nothing!” He’s beaming at you now, reminding you of a five year old. “I just think it’s a good idea.”

...

Really?

“I don’t write anymore,” you point out.

His grin falters, and for a moment, you regret saying anything. “Well, you can try again, right?”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, it could... Help you.” He’s looking at you almost hopefully. You try not to budge.

“...I don’t see why this is important to you,” you admit. “This is... Really random.”

His grin falls. Without warning, he pulls away from leaning over your chair. “...Yeah,” he lets out a forced chuckle, “I guess it is. Sorry.”

“Benny...”

He shakes his head. “No, you’re right, I don’t know where that came from. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” you cut in. He pushes his glasses up his nose nervously.

“I just... Don’t want you to feel lonely. Y’know?”

He laughs, again, more fake than the last, then opens his mouth once more to speak; probably to spout another apology.

Before he can, you get up out of your chair, and rest your hands on his shoulders. “You shouldn’t be worrying about me,” you say gently.

“I have to,” he shoots back quietly. “Who else is going to?”

You don’t answer.

You just sigh, letting your arms drop to your sides.

“I’ll help you with your homework,” you say, suddenly, and he looks at you briefly before glancing away.

“...Okay.”

When you two finally finish, he looks surprisingly tired, so you send him off to bed early. He doesn’t make his usual arguments, which is strange, but you don’t really dwell on it.

Before closing his door, he turns back to you. “Thanks for the help,” he murmurs, giving you a slight smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. You return a smile just as fake.

“You’re welcome.”

He glances at his shoes. “...I love you.”

“I love you too,” you reply.

He gives you another smile, and shuts the door with a soft click.

* * *

It’s bothering you.

You don’t know why, but Benny’s words are really bothering you right now.

You... Feel bad.

Like you’ve let him down, somehow.

You don’t want to let your family down. Ever.

Not _him_.

So, you cringe, and open the forum.

You ignore the anxiety bubbling up in your chest, and make a post; anonymous, of course. You thank the stars the forum has that function, even if it asks for your email in return.

It’s not much. Just a mere greeting.

You highly doubt you’ll get anything in response, regardless of you giving your email or not.

And before you can convince yourself to delete it, you shut the computer, and get into bed.

You don’t get a lot of sleep that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> btw, i realize that i've been writing angst more than usual
> 
> that has nothing to do with my mindset really, that's just kind of how the stories are playing out at the moment i suppose?
> 
> i swear fluff will come back, eventually :')


End file.
